On Thursday afternoon Martech Record and Firneo partnered to host a webinar focused on the buzzword(s) "strategic partnerships." 
For a half decade or so, the affiliate industry has thrown around the terms "strategic partnerships" and pointed to them as the future of the industry. But practically speaking, what makes a partnership strategic and a unique to other marketing partnerships?
Summary:
- Strategic partnerships are partnerships that cross multiple organizational functions (product, marketing, tech, finance, etc) and are intended to be long term.
- The skill sets required for the role are mainly the ability to work well with almost anyone in the organization while building trust and communication with a partner.
- The lowering barriers to creating partnerships are blending affiliate and business development, allowing organizations to more easily test a partnership before committing to a more integrated approach.